Sitting for a long period of time causes your hip flexor muscles to become short and tight. Which is why. You may feel like your hips or back are sore or stiff after sitting at your desk all day. In fact, according to the paint center, 80% of us will experience back pain at some point in our lives. You need to stretch your hip flexor muscles regularly to keep them flexible and working the way they should. Check out these simple, no equipment, easy to do in the middle of your workday hip flexor stretches
The hip flexors are a group of muscles that run from your thighs all the way up to your low back.
Stretching the hip flexor muscles can help prevent and treat some causes of lower back pain Hold each stretch for 30 secs and repeat 2 times before moving to the next. Make sure you continue to breathe as you stretch.
Articulated Bridging
Plant feet fist distance apart. Curl naval toward tailbone. Begin to lift the tailbone and then articulate up vertebrae by vertebrae until there is a plum line (Straight Diagonal) through your shoulders, hips and knees. Keep inner thighs active so knees don’t splay open.
Kneeling Lunge
Shoulders stacked over hips. 90 degree bend in both knees. With control, shift weight forward 5 times. Come back up, shift weight forward, hold stretch, then rotate towards the outside pause for 30 and then rotate opposite direction, pause.
Kneeling Lunge Progression
Prop foot up on couch/chair to deepen hip extension as you lean forward
Add in lateral flexion, lift opposite arm towards kneeling bent knee
Seated Butterfly stretch
Sit on the floor with your knees bent. Your back should be straight. Slowly let your knees fall open as you keep the soles of your feet together. To progress the stretch in your back, hinge forward.
Prone Quad stretch
Lying down allows both of your hips to stay squared. If you cannot grab your foot use a belt or towel for additional support